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Immigration Detention Facilities Undergoing Inspections

Immigrant rights groups and private immigration attorneys have long discussed the oft-times deplorable conditions in many immigration detention facilities.  Due to growing evidence pointing to the prevalence of inhumane conditions of detention, this week the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG), revealed that a new program will be put in place wherein unannounced inspections will be made of detention facilities in an effort to begin a remediation program to correct deficiencies and…

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College Scholarship For First-generation American High School Seniors In NJ

The Shulman Law Group is awarding a $1,000 college scholarship to one deserving NJ high school senior who authors a winning essay about their experiences as a first generation American student. As immigration lawyers, we have had the honor of helping many families navigate the complex U.S. immigration system and successfully move to America. As a result, we also understand more than anyone else the myriad of challenges that first generation American students may face, particularly…

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Immigration Detention Explained

The United States uses detention as a means of dealing with undocumented or otherwise removable immigrants after their arrest. When a friend or loved one has been placed in detention, it can be confusing and scary.  This immigration blog aims to explain the detention process and how to help a friend or family member who has been detained. An individual may be detained because he or she is in the United States illegally and it is…

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New Policy Allows Battered Spouses Of Non-immigrants To Work

A new USCIS Policy, which actually serves as an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), expands eligibility for employment authorization to battered/abused spouses of certain non-immigrants.  The nonimmigrant visas applicable to INA section 106 employment authorization eligibility are: A-1, A-2, and A-3: Foreign government diplomats and officials and immediate family members and their attendants, servants, and personal employees; E-3: Australian specialty occupation workers; G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, and G-5: Employees of foreign governments and…

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Nj Police Lab Misconduct May Impact Immigration Cases

A New Jersey lab technician, employed at a Little Falls State Police Laboratory, has been suspended, pending an investigation over potential falsification of drug reports.  Indeed, the technician reportedly faked results in a suspected drug case which has drawn into question 7,827 criminal cases on which he worked, according to state officials.  Specifically, it was alleged that the technician spent an insufficient amount of time analyzing a substance to determine if it was marijuana and reported a…

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Priority-2 (P-2) Direct Access Program For Iraqi And Syrian I-130 Beneficiaries

The Priority-2 (P-2) Direct Access Program for Iraqi and Syrian beneficiaries of I-130 Petitions is an avenue for Iraqis and Syrians to apply for refugee resettlement in the United States through the U.S Refugee Admissions Program, known as USRAP. It is available to approved I-130 beneficiaries of Iraqi or Syrian nationality and their derivatives. Derivatives are spouses and unmarried children who were less than 21 years of age on the date the beneficiary’s I-130 petition was…

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Immigration Attorney, Edward Shulman, Lectures At Legal Education Conference

On Wednesday, February 25, 2016, New Jersey Immigration Attorney, Edward Shulman, of the leading Immigration Law Firm, the Shulman Law Group, LLC, gave a lecture on Understanding Asylum and Refugee Law.  The seminar, held in Newark, New Jersey, was sponsored by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE) in conjunction with the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association.  The immigration colloquium was organized by the Honorable Dorothy Harbeck, an Immigration Judge for the U.S. Department…

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Changes To Visa Waiver Program (VWP)

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun implementing changes to its visa policies that will make it harder for some travelers to enter the country under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This essentially means that the nationals of certain countries are no longer eligible to enter the United States under the VWP, with particular focus on their recent travel histories. The VWP allows eligible nationals of 38 countries to travel temporarily, for up to 90 days,…

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What is Expanded DACA?

President Obama announced, under his Executive Order, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in June of 2012 that allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the United States prior to their sixteenth birthday to receive a work permit and exemption from deportation. In November of 2014, President Obama announced changes to DACA which would expand it to include illegal immigrants, expand the entry date, eliminate the requirement that applicants be younger than 31 years old, and lengthen…

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How Justice Scalia’s Death Will Affect DAPA

The future of the United States Supreme Court, and an estimated four million immigrants affected by its upcoming decision on DAPA, lies in the balance due to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the former leader of the court’s dominant conservative contingency.  There is no way for Scalia's seat to be filled before the DAPA hearing (United States v. Texas), which is scheduled to commence in April.  Thus, Justice Scalia’s death leaves the court with two…

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